Kipps (1941)

Director:

Carol Reed

Writers:

Sidney Gilliat (screenplay)
H.G. Wells (novel)

Release Date:

28 June 1941 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Kipps the draper's apprentice falls in love with a girl above his station. When he unexpectedly inherits a fortune, he thinks his dream has come true. But money can't make him a gentleman, or bring him the girl he really wants... |

Plot Keywords:

Inheritance | Snobbery | Social Commentary | Maid | 1900s

Cast

Philip Frost	...	Kipps
Michael Redgrave	...	Kipps
Diana Wynyard	...	Helen Walshingham
Diana Calderwood	...	Ann Pornick as a girl
Phyllis Calvert	...	Ann Pornick
Arthur Riscoe	...	Chillerlow
Max Adrian	...	Chester Coote
Helen Haye	...	Mrs. Walshingham
Betty Jardine	...	Doris
Michael Wilding	...	Ronnie Walshingham
Lloyd Pearson	...	Shalford
Edward Rigby	...	Buggins
Mackenzie Ward	...	Pearce
Hermione Baddeley	...	Miss Mergle
Betty Ann Davies	...	Flo Bates

Also Known As:

The Remarkable Mr. Kipps (USA)
Erotiko romantso (Greece) [el]
Kipps (Austria) [de]
Kipps - Roman eines einfachen Menschen (Germany) [de]
Mr. Kipps (Sweden) [sv]

Runtime:

UK:111 min | USA:82 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:U

Filming Locations:

Gaumont-British Studios, Lime Grove, Shepherd's Bush, London, England, UK

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Productions

Trivia:

Irene Handl is often wrongly credited with being in this film.

Movie Connections:

Version of "Kipps" (1960)

Decent...and it ends pretty well

KIPPS is a film about the life of a rather stupid young man, played by Michael Redgrave. Mr. Kipps works as a clerk in a small department store and has little formal education. However, out of the blue, he receives a substantial inheritance. Kipps has dreams of becoming a country gentleman. Although he has a mansion and money, two things he doesn't have are an education or common sense. The audience may find that they like this artless man, but at times he's also incredibly foolish in his attempts to blend in with society. On top of that, he becomes engaged to a society lady who is VERY class-conscious and Kipps is forever feeling out of place around her or the company she keeps. How Kipps is able to somehow make a go of it all is something you'll have to see for yourself in this light drama.

While there isn't a lot about this movie that will linger, it is reasonably well-produced and acted--though I think they did make Kipps a bit dumb--too dumb. But, he's a likable fool and it all ends very well, so it's definitely worth watching. One thing that I wondered, though, as I watched. This film was made in the UK during the darkest days of WWII, yet you'd never suspect, as it's a period piece set about 1906--a rarity for a wartime British film, as most seemed to involve the war.